NHSE launches ‘common front door’ into secure data environments

NHS England has launched a ‘common front door’, in partnership with Health Data Research UK, to give health researchers access to its secure data environment (SDE) network.

The online portal went live at the end of 2024 to enable health researchers to securely access data held by healthcare organisations.

In a blog published on 17 January 2025, Jake Marshall, head of life sciences and public sector partnerships for the Data for Research and Development Programme, said: “We have worked closely with stakeholders across the health technology, life science, charity and academic sectors.

“The feedback received has been consistent. Researchers need rapid and flexible access to nationally-representative, multi-modal data through a single front door and the service must be underpinned by public trust.

“We are committed to this ambition. It may sound simple, but it involves complex work across multiple organisations and spans technology, ethics, information governance and other specialisms, so we are pleased with progress made to date.”

The NHSE SDE provides access to details of data custodians for all the regional SDEs, a range of datasets (currently totalling 78), 193 documents on data uses, analysis scripts and software – for whole system integrated care dashboards and information for care professionals – 65 publications and 17 collections.

Marshall said that enhanced features will be added to the portal in 2025 to “further improve the consistency and speed of services for researchers”, including a single data access request form, researcher and organisation validation policy to support faster access to self-serve functionality, and a standardised contracting approach with a common and flexible pricing model.

A prime SDE model for federated research projects will also be introduced, providing a single secure workspace and point of customer contact on behalf of multiple contributing SDEs.

“Creating a consistently excellent customer experience relies on continuous improvement underpinned by ongoing stakeholder and patient feedback.

“Continued collaboration enable us to deliver rapid, secure access to the world’s largest linked health datasets for research. This will improve care, support innovation and sustain the NHS,” Marshall said.

He invited health researchers to join the ‘Health Data User Group’ for regular updates and invitations to workshops, including access to the FutureNHS workspace.

The first four regional SDEs were confirmed back in December 2022. Sites in London, Northwest, Thames Valley and Surrey and West Midlands were awarded a slice of £100 million funding by NHS England to develop SDEs.

The development of an open portal into SDEs comes after an independent review by Professor Cathie Sudlow, chief scientist at Health Data Research UK, published in November 2024, called for barriers to accessing NHS patient data to be removed so that it can be used for research to further medical advances.

Sudlow said that researchers’ access to datasets often takes months or years and called for health data to be seen as critical national infrastructure.